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墨書 Inktalez
In the early morning, a sharp ring of the doorbell shattered the tranquility. I walked to the entrance and looked through the peephole to see a tall middle-aged woman and a young girl. The woman was elegantly dressed, exuding a powerful aura, and there was a hint of resemblance to Professor Liang in her features.
"May I ask who you are?" I inquired as I opened the door.
"I am Professor Liang's sister," the woman said, sizing me up with undisguised disdain in her eyes. "This is my daughter, Qin Ke."
I silently stepped aside, alarm bells ringing in my mind.
"Where are the children?" Sister Liang strode into the living room, her gaze scanning the surroundings.
"They're still at school," I replied briefly.
Sister Liang turned to me, her eyebrows raised high. "So you're the tutor? How did my brother end up hiring someone like you?"
I remained silent. Professor Lin's warning echoed in my ears—maintain the cold persona. This was a good opportunity.
"My brother is not here; these children should be under my care," Sister Liang declared. "You can pack your things and leave."
Qin Ke stood beside her, slightly bowing her head but with a smug smile on her lips. She was around the same age as Liang Mo, beautiful and graceful, clearly a pampered young lady.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," I said coldly. "I have a contract with Professor Liang; I'm responsible for the children's education for three months."
Sister Liang scoffed. "A contract? That can easily be torn up."
She pulled out a checkbook from her bag. "Name your price; I'll buy out your remaining time."
I looked at her arrogant expression, anger rising within me. But then I thought, isn't this a perfect opportunity to extricate myself? Take the money and leave without being entangled in experiments and emotions any longer.
Just then, the door opened. Liang Mo, Liang Chuan, and Liang Xue returned from school.
"Aunt?" Liang Mo frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Sister Liang immediately switched to a loving expression. "Mo'er, Auntie missed you all and came to see you."
Liang Mo stood expressionless in place, not stepping forward.
Liang Xue hid behind Liang Chuan, timidly gazing at the unfamiliar mother-daughter pair.
"This is your cousin Qin Ke," Sister Liang nudged her daughter forward. "You met when you were little."
Qin Ke smiled and stepped forward. "Cousin, it's been a while."
Liang Mo nodded but turned his gaze toward me. "What's going on?"
I was about to speak when Sister Liang interjected, "It's nothing; your father had something come up last minute and asked me to take care of you for a few days."
"Dad would call us," Liang Mo said coldly, suspicion lacing his tone.
Sister Liang's expression shifted slightly before she quickly regained her composure. "He's too busy; he asked me to relay that message."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room froze. I glanced at the three siblings from the the Liang Family and then at Sister Liang and her daughter, deciding to take this opportunity to fulfill Professor Lin's request—to become cold and unfeeling once again.
"Since that's the case," I feigned indifference, "my work will come to an end for now."
To my surprise, Liang Mo immediately stepped beside me. "Teacher Xia isn't leaving."
Liang Chuan nodded in agreement, "Dad said that for the next three months, Teacher Xia is responsible for us."
Liang Xue ran over and hugged my leg tightly, "I don’t want Teacher Xia to leave!"
I was momentarily speechless, my heart filled with mixed emotions. When did these three kids start relying on me so much?
Sister Liang's expression darkened, "What kind of attitude is this? Auntie is doing this for your own good. What’s so great about this kind of education?"
"She stands up for us," Liang Chuan spoke up for the first time, his voice soft yet firm. "She protects us."
"Yeah," Liang Xue lifted her little face, "Teacher Xia scared away the bad guys!"
Liang Mo looked at me intently before turning to his aunt, "If you insist on making Teacher Xia leave, then we’ll go with her."
Sister Liang was taken aback by this sudden rebellion and didn’t know how to respond.
Qin Ke tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Mom, why don’t we do this for now? We can stay and observe for a few days."
After a moment of contemplation, Sister Liang reluctantly agreed.
During dinner, the atmosphere at the table was strange. Sister Liang constantly criticized my teaching methods while Qin Ke occasionally threw flirtatious glances at Liang Mo.
Liang Mo maintained a cold expression, focused on his food; Liang Chuan ate silently with his head down; Liang Xue stayed close to me as if afraid I would suddenly disappear.
After dinner, Sister Liang announced that she and her daughter would be staying in the master bedroom because it was the most comfortable. Then she turned to me with a victorious gleam in her eyes:
"You can move to the servant's room."
I nodded in agreement, thinking that suited me just fine—I could reclaim my cold persona and distance myself from these three kids.
But what I didn’t expect was that later that night, Liang Xue came knocking on my door again. She was holding a Teddy Bear and tears filled her eyes, "Teacher Xia, I’m scared."
Faced with those big eyes, my previously firm resolve began to waver.
Just as I hesitated, Sister Liang's voice came from outside the door: "Liang Xue? What are you doing?"
The little girl shivered in fright and hurriedly hid behind me.
Sister Liang pushed the door open and glared at me, "Are you encouraging the child to betray her family?"
I scoffed lightly, "She’s just afraid of having nightmares and came to find me."
"Find you?" Sister Liang scoffed coldly, "A stranger."
She reached out to pull Liang Xue away, "Come back with Auntie."
Liang Xue shook her head and clung tightly to my clothes.
Seeing the terrified expression on the little girl’s face softened my heart. I crouched down to meet her gaze, "It’s okay; you can sleep with me."
Sister Liang’s face turned pale with anger: "You! You have some nerve!"
"This is what Professor Liang hired me for," I said calmly, "to take care of these three kids."
"Just wait and see!" Sister Liang huffed as she stormed out, "I’ll call my brother tomorrow and see how he deals with you!"
Once the door closed, silence returned to the room. Liang Xue asked softly, "Teacher Xia, will you be sent away?"
I gently stroked her hair and whispered, "It won't happen."
Yet my heart was filled with conflict. Should I follow the experimental requirements and remain cold-blooded, or should I listen to my heart and protect these three children?
That night, I tossed and turned, making a decision—no matter the outcome, I would safeguard these three children.
The next morning, Sister Liang called Professor Liang with great urgency, only to find out he was temporarily unavailable. Angrily, she slammed down the phone and glared at me. "You wait!"
At the breakfast table, Sister Liang announced a new rule: she would pick up the three children after school and they were not allowed to be alone with me.
Liang Mo observed silently, saying nothing. Liang Chuan lowered his head to eat, pretending not to hear. Liang Xue pouted, clearly unwilling.
On the way to school, Liang Mo suddenly spoke up, "She wants to take us away."
"What?" I looked at him in surprise.
"I heard her on the phone last night," Liang Mo said seriously. "She convinced Dad to send us to a boarding school abroad so she could take over the household affairs."
I frowned in thought; something about this didn’t seem right.
"What’s your plan?" Liang Mo asked.
I shook my head. "I don’t have one yet. But I won’t let her succeed."
Liang Mo nodded, a glimmer of trust in his eyes. "We’re on your side."
After school that afternoon, I waited at the school gate as agreed. However, Sister Liang arrived first, bringing Qin Ke with her and forcefully taking the three children away.
Liang Xue looked back at me with reluctance in her eyes. I could only stand there helplessly as I watched them leave.
Back home, Sister Liang smugly informed me, "You can leave tomorrow; my brother has agreed to let me take care of the children."
I didn’t argue but returned to my room to pack my bags. On the surface, I remained calm while internally contemplating my next move.
In the evening, I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it, it was Liang Mo.
"I have something to show you," he said mysteriously.
He handed me a USB drive. "I copied this from my aunt's computer."
I plugged the USB into my computer and found a draft of a will along with several emails. The will stated that if Professor Liang were to have an accident, his assets would be divided among the three children and managed by their guardian until they came of age.
The emails revealed even more shocking facts—Sister Liang had been plotting to take over Professor Liang's assets all along, and this so-called "taking care of the children" was merely a facade.
"She wants to control us," Liang Mo said coldly, "using guardianship to control the assets."
I pondered for a moment. "We need more evidence."
Just then, my phone vibrated with a message from an unknown number: "Emergency situation, please come to the hospital.—Professor Lin"
A tightness gripped my chest; could there have been an issue with the experiment?
I told Liang Mo to take good care of his siblings and hurried off to the hospital.
Professor Lin was waiting for me outside the emergency room, his expression grave. "Professor Liang is in trouble."
"What?" I was taken aback. "Isn't he at a conference abroad?"
"That's just a cover," Professor Lin lowered his voice. "He has been receiving psychological treatment domestically. Today, his condition suddenly worsened, and it's not looking good."
I stared at Professor Lin in shock. "What kind of psychological treatment?"
Professor Lin hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "The entire 'Educator' experiment was actually designed by Professor Liang. He wanted to test a hypothesis—whether a stranger could establish an emotional connection with children in a short period of time."
"So... my cold-blooded persona?"
"That was just an obstacle," Professor Lin said with a wry smile. "It was to see if you could break through the psychological suggestion and genuinely care for these children."
I stood there, unable to process this information. I thought I was participating in a psychological experiment, unaware that I was also part of the experiment itself.
"Professor Liang has been paying close attention to your performance," Professor Lin continued, "and he is quite satisfied. You are the only one who successfully broke through the psychological suggestion."
"Why do all this?" I asked, confused.
Professor Lin sighed. "Professor Liang knows his condition is not optimistic and wants to find a true guardian for the children."
Everything suddenly became clear. Sister Liang's unexpected appearance and her eagerness to send me away...
"Professor Liang wants me to be the children's guardian?" I could hardly believe my own speculation.
Professor Lin nodded. "If you are willing. He believes you would be the best choice."
Standing in the hospital corridor, I felt the absurdity of fate's joke. Three months ago, I had participated in this experiment for a reward of one hundred thousand yuan; now, I had to decide whether to take on the future of three children.
On my way home, I kept recalling the moments spent with Liang Mo, Liang Chuan, and Liang Xue. From initial hostility to trust, my attitude had shifted from indifference to concern.
I suddenly realized that this was no longer just a simple experimental task.
Returning to the the Liang Family home, the house was silent. Sister Liang and Qin Ke were nowhere to be found, and the three children were gathered in the living room, their expressions serious.
"What happened?" I asked.
Liang Mo handed me a letter. "Auntie left this for us. She took our documents and some important files with her."
In the letter, Sister Liang proudly declared that she had already contacted a lawyer and was preparing to apply for temporary custody of the children.
Anger surged within me as I immediately called Professor Lin. After learning that Professor Liang's condition was stable, I asked her to help contact a lawyer to thwart Sister Liang's plan.
Hanging up the phone, I looked at the three worried children. "It's okay; we will solve this problem."
Liang Xue looked up at me, fear in her eyes. "Teacher Xia, Auntie said she would send us far away, and we would never see Dad again."
I crouched down to meet her gaze. "That won't happen. I promise."
Liang Mo and Liang Chuan exchanged glances, then Liang Mo spoke up. "We have a plan."
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